Chester, PA – Turn Up The Music and Travolta Blue Chip, a Saturday Night Fever parlay even on a Friday (April 17), both danced home victoriously in the $12,000 featured races for developing horses at Harrah’s Philadelphia, giving owner Morrison Racing Stables a sweep of the headliners.
Turn Up The Music, a daughter of Tall Dark Stranger, pushed away hard from the gate in the distaff pace then yielded for the pocket as the 1-1 second choice. She stayed in the hole until She’s A Rich Girl, the 1-1 first choice, came out entering the far turn, and driver-trainer Joe Bongiorno got the winner moving in high gear quickly, making the lead early in the lane and then holding safe the chalk by 1-3/4 lengths. Turn Up The Music lowered her mark to 1:51.3 while pacing her own back half in :55.3.
Travolta Hanover took over the throttle at the quarter and was in control for the rest of the 1:55 mile in the co-featured trot, with Abbey Blue Chip closing on him late but no closer than three quarters of a length on the money. The winning son of Muscle Hill, who came his last half in :56.3, was driven to the convincing triumph by Mark Herschberger for trainer Annie Stoebe.
Top event for the fast-class horses on the day was an $11,500 handicap pace for distaffs to open the card, and potential backers of the $319,486 four-year-old Papi Rob Hanover – See You At Peelers mare Champagne Room got a subtle tip from the horse’s connections, trainer Ron Burke and Team Burke / Weaver-Bruscemi – they lured Yannick Gingras to Philly for a cameo appearance behind the mare.
Bet down to a heavy favorite despite not racing in just over five months, Champagne Room served notice she might be in the top mares mix this year with a powerful win in 1:50.3 after making two moves, though she was extended by second-over Reckless Abandon and won by three parts of a length. after pacing her last split in :27.
Joe Bongiorno scored a natural hat trick in both the drivers and trainers column starting with his feature win behind Turn Up The Music, and led the horsemen’s colonies on the day. Driving doubles were turned in by Johnathan Ahle, Mark Herschberger, and perennial Philly leader Tim Tetrick; Noel Daley sent out two winners from his barn.
Features for both up-and-coming and established pacers will top the week-ending Sunday (April 19) card at Harrah’s Philadelphia, which begins at 12:40 p.m. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.